10 Ways to Support Your Favorite Authors

Many years ago, I learned how to be a good literary citizen from books like Carolyn See’s Making a Literary Life and podcasts like #AmWriting. The first time I ever reached out to an author that I admired was in 2007. I sent an email to Janis Huggins about how much I loved her bookContinue reading “10 Ways to Support Your Favorite Authors”

Holding Space for Contradiction in Conservation

This piece was originally posted on the OneNature blog on October 12, 2022. I saw my first spotted lanternfly recently. The insect flew onto another woman’s leg where I saw it alive on her bare skin. Then she knocked it to the ground as her child asked, “Can I squash it?”  I heard the stomp.Continue reading “Holding Space for Contradiction in Conservation”

My Favorite Books of 2022

I read 112 books this year. That includes kids’ books, because they are books too! How do I keep count? On StoryGraph– the non-Amazon version of Goodreads. Here are my favorite books that I READ in 2022, in no particular order. Each title is linked to Bookshop.org, a great non-Amazon alternative for online book buying thatContinue reading “My Favorite Books of 2022”

Turtle Story: Jataka Retelling

It is said that everyone has a turtle story… Long ago, after a violent storm, sailors clung to chunks of splintered wood, the remaining bits of their wrecked ship. Cold, thirsty, and weakening with every crest and trough of the waves, they floated in the infinite sea. As night fell, one sailor gave up, releasedContinue reading “Turtle Story: Jataka Retelling”

The Almost Anthropologist’s Favorite Books of 2021

‘Tis the season for my annual book list! PSA: Whenever possible, PLEASE support local, independent bookstores, instead of Amazon, as you shop for books this holiday season. I will link all the titles below to Bookshop.org which is a great way to shop online while still supporting indies. As always, these are books I readContinue reading “The Almost Anthropologist’s Favorite Books of 2021”

Yoga & Mindfulness Resources for Environmental Educators

As an environmental educator and yoga teacher, I LOVE incorporating mindfulness practices into nature programs. I believe that encouraging mindfulness outside helps students of all ages to become present in both time and place. Sometimes it’s as simple as having a quiet moment out on the hiking trail to listen for birds. Other times IContinue reading “Yoga & Mindfulness Resources for Environmental Educators”

Earth Mandalas: Practicing Mindfulness in Nature

Mandala is the Sanskrit word for CIRCLE. Mandalas are used in many of the world’s cultures and religions as devotional images that symbolize the universe in its ideal form. The creation of a mandala signifies the transformation of a universe of suffering into one of joy. There are examples of mandalas in nature as well,Continue reading “Earth Mandalas: Practicing Mindfulness in Nature”

“Fighting Beavers for Years!”

Fighting Beavers for Years! is the subject line of an email I recently received. The message described a pond with an overflow pipe clogged with branches and mud. A neighbor with helpful intentions recommended trapping and killing the beavers-to-blame, which they did year after year, in an endeavor they described as a “constant battle.” EveryContinue reading ““Fighting Beavers for Years!””

Beavers Eat Fish and Other Myths

Happy International Beaver Day! Ready to bust some beaver myths and misunderstandings? Beavers do not eat fish. Beavers are strictly herbivores, but they don’t eat only trees either! As ‘choosy generalists,’ their diet consists of many species (80+) of woody, herbaceous, and aquatic plants. Most people blame author C. S. Lewis for the common misunderstandingContinue reading “Beavers Eat Fish and Other Myths”